Mission For Migrant Workers’ 41st Anniversary Celebration
Our service, Our Promise: Celebrating Solidarity and Care Amidst and Beyond the Pandemic

On the 5th of June 2022, the Mission For Migrant Workers celebrated its 41st anniversary. Nearly 200 members of the MFMW community came together to look back on the successes of yesterday and the challenges of tomorrow. As an outreach post of St. John’s Cathedral, the MFMW provides services to migrants anytime, anywhere. This joyous event was taken as an opportunity to both highlight the work of the MFMW and to draw attention to the needs of the migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. 

With various speakers, cultural performances and celebratory messages, the afternoon went by quickly. After an opening video and some amazing music from Filipino band HiMigrante, Father Dwight de la Torre, chaplain for the Mission for Migrant Workers, held an opening prayer to start off the event. 

For the opening speech the general manager of the MFMW, Cynthia Abdon-Tellez, took the virtual floor. She reflected on the past year and the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic imposed on the migrant community and the MFMW, especially during the fifth wave. She also expressed gratitude for all the supporters of the MFMW.

During the event multiple beneficiaries talked about how the MFMW has been able to help them during the COVID-19 fifth wave, in case guidance and with training sessions. The MFMW also celebrated its partnerships with Bethune House and AMCB, as well as the grassroots migrant organizations and other NGOs in different coalitions. Videos of cultural performances by the Nepalese, Indonesian and Filipino community were shown in between the messages and speeches. 

“We all know that leaving home countries to serve in this small city is never an easy task and we thank MFMW and all domestic migrant workers for all the work that you have done in the past 41 years or even longer”, Revd. Kwok-Keung Chan, Dean of St. John’s Cathedral mentioned in his message. The chairperson of the MFMW advisory board, Daniel Feldmann, mentioned the “tremendous support people in Hong Kong receive from our dear migrant workers”, as the MFMW continues “to focus our support to those in need.” 

In the closing speech, Rev. Philip Wickeri mentioned how “sometimes we need to sit back and listen to enjoy who we are and what we are doing” and that listening to the music and all the speakers was very inspirational. 

The event was closed off by a beautiful performance of the song ‘heal the world’ by Michael Jackson. The MFMW staff, migrant workers, and local and international friends joined to sing the following closing lyrics: “Heal the world, make it a better place, for you and for me, and the entire human race.”